Uterine Prolapse 1 week after second baby

Submitted by Karina74 on November 5, 2007 - 1:50pm
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I have read over a lot of the posts here and finally decided to tell my own story and ask some questions since everyone here seems so supportive. I am 33 and delivered my second baby about 11 weeks ago, my first son was born 22 months prior. Both deliveries were all natural, quick and easy (8 hours and 2 hours) and only a couple stitches the first time. I felt great after baby no. 2 so when I got home I did laundry, carried my 37 lb. toddler up the stairs and other household stuff. Then the next day I felt VERY swollen and saw that something was protruding. Doctor says I have a small uterine prolapse, but it seems to me that it is more than a mild prolapse since it is protruding. I have always been very fit, slim and health conscious and had never heard of prolapse and neither have any friends that I told about this. I keep wondering why prolapse is not mentioned in any pregnancy books, literature or magazine! If I had known about it I would have been much more careful - I feel as if I did this to myself and am very depressed about it. My mother kept telling me not to carry my toddler which I did throughout the whole pregnancy. I felt strong as I did after delivery until the prolapse. I assumed not lifting was more to do with fatique, possibly harming the baby while pregnant or the stitches I had the first time since no one mentioned not lifting after the second baby.

Some of my questions are:

Will this ever completly go away? It was protruding at first and now it is just inside but definitly still there.
Can I ever jog and do other exercise I used to love again?
If not, would the mesh or pessary help so that I can do everything I used to be able to do?
Finally, sex...I have been too scared and not feeling very sexy with this problem to even attempt it - will this ever get better? Any complications from it?
We would like one more baby (to start trying in 2 yrs. or so) is it inevitable that this will happen again?

Thanks for any responses.

alemama

November 5, 2007 - 5:21pm

but I wanted to reply to let you know I read your post and I think your prolapse will go away- Have you found the main site with the FAQ's yet?
Yes you will be able to exercise - yes you can have sex- it even helps! It might happen again- but you will get better again.....
now it may get worse before it gets better. And it may take up to 2 years for it to completely resolve- so be patient....look into whole woman posture-

granolamom

November 5, 2007 - 7:07pm

welcome and congrats on the new baby!

I really want to address your feelings of 'I did this to myself'. YOU DID NOT FAIL YOURSELF. You are right-on to complain that you had no clue that prolapse was possible, in fact you had never heard of it. do not blame yourself. where is the medical profession when you need them?! you are NOT the first postpartum woman to experience a prolapse, your dr should know about such things, but for some reason POP is the best kept secret in womens health care. its just swept right under the mat. nobody talks about it, and whats worse, is that all the media tells you is that you can go back to your prepg life soon after giving birth. just yesterday a new mom ran - and won - the NYC marathon. we glorify stories such as these to the detriment of new moms everywhere. we, as a society, ought to show the young mothers amongst us that we VALUE them for what they are - recovering from childbirth. we should respect our female bodies, and the ebb and flow that is innate to them, there is a time to push to the limit and a time to be gentle with ourselves. postpartum, as you now know, is a time to be gentle with your body and allow it to heal and find its way back to a pre-pg state.

ok, now off my soapbox

to answer your ???'s
yes, it is likely that this will go away. maybe not completely but enough that all is inside of you and not causing day to day trouble.

yes you will be able to jog again

I'd avoid mesh like the plague, but some women here have had success with various pessaries

sex is good. it gets better when you can start feeling sexy again. no complications from having sex unless you call staying up late a complication

I had another baby after finding my prolapse (I have a cystocele, small rectocele and possibly some degree of uterine prolapse) and it didn't get any worse. in fact things are better than ever right now (my baby is 6 mo)

find the faq's here, start the posture asap. try to get ahold of christines book 'saving the wholewoman', the second edition that is available on this site.

there is every reason to remain hopeful that things can improve with posture, exercise and some lifestyle changes (do NOT allow yourself to become constipated or strain on the toilet!).

stick around and ask any other questions you may have

UKmummy

November 5, 2007 - 7:28pm

I simply HAVE to chime in here Granolamom and Karina because that new Mum who ran and won the New York City marathon was of course our very own Paula Radcliffe from the UK! My Mum and I were just discussing this very issue today and I of course made the comment, "Hmm, I wonder how her vagina is doing after having a baby several weeks ago and doing that?? " I wonder whether she had a c- section though I wouldn't imagine that would have been medically advised with all the training as well. It's rather funny the things I think of since all of this happened, never would have crossed my mind several years ago when I was running marathons and had never even heard of the best kept secret in women's health!! :)

Karina, PLEASE try to read some of mine and others old posts. Your story sounds very similar to mine and I am doing so well and I feel sure that you will too. Don't panic, really things can get very much better. I haven't much more time now but hugs to you! x

Karina74

November 5, 2007 - 11:03pm

I definitly need to get Christine's book. I also heard about the new mom winning the marathon - it is things like that which made me feel like if they can do it then so can I! Now I know and tell all my friends to really be careful and take it easy during and after delivery. I live in Cyprus now and the doctors here don't have a good bedside manner at all and my doctor even seemed annoyed by my questions. I tried to tell him it is more psychologically bothersome and a nuisance then when he checked me he said "AH, it's not so traumatic"! For him of course it's not! I could go on and on about the doc's here but I won't (yet).

I will keep checking out this site and the FAQ's page and keep you updated. Thanks again!.....I might be staying up late tonight ;-)